The Royal Portfolio

British Lit Time Period Information

Instructions:
1. Research for the answers to the following prompts and questions.
2. Type your information and copy the link to the website that contained the information allow the boxes to expand as you type or insert information.
3. You should read various websites to find comprehensive information, but you need to document two independent, reliable and credible sources that you will use
to present your information on your Royal Portfolio site.
4. When the chart is completed, you will present your information in paragraph form as if you are telling someone the story of England (see instructions below).
5. You should not simply string along facts and dates, but create a logical, coherent, sophisticated piece of writing that incorporates senior-level vocabulary and
sentence structure. Review the rubric for standards and criteria for grading.

Literary/Historical Time Period:

Prompt

Source #1 and Information

Source: http://people.umass.edu/eng2/per/medieval.html

1. What are the years of the

time period?
Keep in mind that there is
really no exact year, as many
historians have varying ideas
of when a period may begin
or finish.

The Medieval period runs from the end of Late Antiquity in the fourth
century to the English Renaissance of the late fifteenth century.
The early portion of the Medieval period in England is dominated by AngloSaxons, whose language is incomprehensible to today's speakers of English.
That early portion is known as the Old English period. (It is covered in a
separate section of this website.) The Old English period came to an end with
the Norman Invasion of 1066. Normans spoke a dialect of French later called
Anglo-Norman.
Alongside Anglo-Norman, Old English developed into Middle English.
Middle English is a distinct variety of English, influenced in large part by
Anglo-Norman French. For example, Old English speakers did not
distinguish between /f/ and /v/. Just like speakers of Modern German, OE
speakers would use both sounds ([f] and [v]) for the letter <f>. "Aefre" was
pronounced [ever]. But French speakers do distinguish these two sounds.
(Vouz means "you" and fou means "crazy.") After the Conquest, English
people had to distinguish between, for example, veal and feel. So, new
sounds, new words, new syntaxall contribute to a significant change in the
English language. And to a new literature.
The Invasion put French-speaking people at the highest levels of society.
Families that ruled England also ruled and held land in France. William the
Conquerer was also Duke of Normandy, and the English King continued to
hold that office and its lands until the thirteenth century. Only a handful of
Anglo-Saxon families remained in any postions of power. In England,
French was the language of education and literature. It was not an obvious
choice for Chaucer to write his Canterbury Tales in English. Consequently,
the High Middle Ages in England were characterized culturally by their close
relation to French and Italian arts. This will change in the late thirteenth
century as England and France come to loggerheads.
Literary selections from various centuries will give you a very rough idea of
the wide variety of literature circulating in Medieval England.
12th Century

Source #2 and Information

Source: http://www.britannica.com/event/Middle-Ages
The period in European history from the collapse of Roman
civilization in the 5th century ce to the period of the Renaissance
(variously interpreted as beginning in the 13th, 14th, or 15th
century, depending on the region of Europe and on other
factors). The term and its conventional meaning were introduced
by Italian humanists with invidious intent. The humanists were
engaged in a revival of Classical learning and culture, and the
notion of a thousand-year period of darkness and ignorance
separating them from the ancient Greek and Roman world
served to highlight the humanists own work and ideals. In a
sense, the humanists invented the Middle Ages in order to
distinguish themselves from it. The Middle Ages nonetheless
provided the foundation for the transformations of the
humanists own Renaissance.

3. Who are the major ethnic or

cultural groups within the
time period?
a. Where did they come
from
b. What traditions did they
bring with them?
c. What is their religious
focus? (could be more
than one)

5. Who is the most powerful

single person who influences
the time period?
a. What actions did he do
to impact the time
period?
b. What contribution did
he make to the
development of Great
Britain

7. What influence did the

history or cultural events
have on the literature of the
time? Describe in at least
three statements.

Source: http://historylists.org/people/list-of-10-most-famousmedieval-knights.html
Medieval knights were elite warriors and a decisive factor
in medieval warfare. A battle was typically won by the
army which had the most knights. Initially, knights could
become only men who proved their military skills on the
battlefield. Over time, the title of a knight became reserved
for sons of knights who were almost always nobles. But
the title of a knight wasn't inherited. Knightly training was
a long process that started at the age of 8 and usually didn't
complete by the age of 21 when the knightly title was
formally conferred with a stroke with the sword on neck or
shoulder during a ceremony known as accolade.

Source: http://historylists.org/people/list-of-10-most-famousmedieval-knights.html
Richard the Lionheart also known as Richard I of England
(1157-1199) succeeded his father Henry II as King of
England in 1189 but he spent most of his reign abroad.
Shortly after his coronation, he went on the Third Crusade
(1189-1192) where he confirmed his reputation of a great
military leader. On his return to England, he was captured
and handed over to the Holy Roman Emperor but was
released after a ransom was paid in 1194. After a brief
period in England, he went to France where he fought
against Philip II of France. Richard the Lionheart died in
1199 after he was hit by an arrow while besieging the
Chalus-Chabrol castle. A recent research involving an
analysis of Richards mummified heart suggests that he
wasnt killed by a poisoned arrow as long believed. Most
historians think he probably died from gangrene or sepsis
from the wound.
Source: http://www.medieval-life-and-times.info/medievalhistory/medieval-history-timeline.htm
The Medieval Timeline starts in 1066 with the Battle of
Hastings and the Norman Conqest and ends in 1485 with
the death of King Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth
Field. This comprehensive Medieval History Timeline
details the major events significant to life during the
Medieval era. The Timeline of covers all of the reigns of

Source: http://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages
After the fall of Rome, no single state or government
united the people who lived on the European continent.
Instead, the Catholic Church became the most powerful
institution of the medieval period. Kings, queens and other
leaders derived much of their power from their alliances
with and protection of the Church.
(In 800 CE, for example, Pope Leo III named the Frankish
king Charlemagne the Emperor of the Romansthe first
since that empires fall more than 300 years before. Over
time, Charlemagnes realm became the Holy Roman
Empire, one of several political entities in Europe whose
interests tended to align with those of the Church.)
Source: http://www.lordsandladies.org/middle-agespeople.htm
Great religious leaders who played important roles in the
church during the Middle Ages such as Jan Hus, John
Wycliffe and Erasmus. The men who were pretenders to
the throne of England such as Lambert Simnel and Perkin
Warbeck. The most famous people of the Middle Ages
were undoubted the Medieval Kings of England and these
have been included in separate sections - as have the most
famous women of the Middle Ages. The following links
provide access to short biographies, facts, dates, events
and the history of all of the important and most famous
people from the Middle Ages.

Source: http://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages
Toward the end of the 11th century, the Catholic Church began to
authorize military expeditions, or Crusades, to expel Muslim
infidels from the Holy Land. Crusaders, who wore red crosses on
their coats to advertise their status, believed that their service would
guarantee the remission of their sins and ensure that they could spend
all eternity in Heaven. (They also received more worldly rewards,

the Kings of England from the Normans to the

Plantagenet's culminating in the events surrounding the
Wars of the Roses.

9. What are the

traits/conventions of the
poetry of the period? (i.e.
extended metaphors,
imagery, etc.)
a. What are the messages
and/or themes of the
poetic writing?
b. Name the titles and
authors of three pieces
of poetry.

11. What are the

traits/conventions of the
prose writing of the period?
(i.e. extended metaphors,
imagery, etc.)
a. What are the messages
and/or themes of the
prose writing?
b. Name the titles and
authors of three pieces
of prose.

Source: http://people.umass.edu/eng2/per/earlymed.html
Old English poems are beautifully wrought, and stunningly
complex. They are also informed by a number of ancient
traditions, namely Celtic, Germanic, and Latin. These
traditions are bound up with one another, and cannot be
unwound to produce "pure" threads of one or another ethnic
culture. Understanding Old English poetry means in part
understanding the myths, rituals, and habits of these ancient
peoples.

Source: http://people.umass.edu/eng2/per/earlymed.html
Anglo-Saxon literary culture was multi-lingual. The
inhabitants of Britain spoke Celtic, Saxon, Old English, and
Latin, among other languages. Some of those languages, such
as Cornish, died out. Almost all surviving texts were written by
monks or nuns, and the majority of them are in Latin. Our
concentration on Old English texts misrepresents the complex
literary culture of the time.
There are almost 1000 surviving manuscripts from AngloSaxon England. Manuscript is a term that means "written by
hand." Texts were copied out by hand onto vellum (animal
skin) by scribes (literate men and women who were taught to
reproduce books) and bound into codicies (singular, codex,
Latin for "book"). Books were rare and precious things. They
were sometimes covered in gold and jewels. (Search Google
for medieval manuscripts.) Most were destroyed by time, fire,
or war. Old English poetrythat is, poetry written in Old
Englishsurvives in four single books.

such as papal protection of their property and forgiveness of some

kinds of loan payments.)
The Crusades began in 1095, when Pope Urban summoned a
Christian army to fight its way to Jerusalem, and continued on and
off until the end of the 15th century. No one won the Crusades; in
fact, many thousands of people from both sides lost their lives. They
did make ordinary Catholics across Christendom feel like they had a
common purpose, and they inspired waves of religious enthusiasm
among people who might otherwise have felt alienated from the
official Church. They also exposed Crusaders to Islamic literature,
science and technologyexposure that would have a lasting effect on
European intellectual life.

Source: http://www.medievalchronicles.com/medievallife/medieval-poetry/
Poems during the medieval era were religious in nature
and written by clerics. They were used mostly in church
and other religious events. Medieval poems were mainly
read by troubadours and minstrels. According to scholars,
literature in the Middle Ages was international rather than
local. Medieval poetry was divided by lines of class and
audience rather than language although, Latin was the
language of the church and education. Medieval poetry in
itself was very diverse.
Source: http://quatr.us/medieval/literature/
the Early Middle Ages, as the Roman Empire was
collapsing, the new power of Christianity inspired
Augustine, in North Africa, and Pope Gregory the Great in
Italy to write new books about Christian philosophy. All of
these books were written in Latin. In Constantinople,
Procopius wrote in Greek about Justinian's conquests, and
about the same time, Cassiodorus in Italy wrote a History
of the Goths. In France, Gregory of Tours wrote a History
of the Franks (mostly about the Merovingians). In Spain,
Isidore of Seville wrote a History of the (Visi)Goths, and a
book about the origins of words called the Etymologies.

Combine the information into a logical, coherent paragraph that tells the story of the historical and literary time period.
o Remember that a solid, comprehensive, senior-level paragraph is at least 8-10 sentences.
o Remember that it has a topic sentence and a concluding sentence.
o Remember that you may include information that you recall from research but may not necessarily be part of the graphic organizer above.
You should create a piece of writing that show how seniors take task, purpose, and audience into careful consideration, choosing words,
information, structures, and formats deliberately during the writing process. Merely copying and pasting information will not meet the Common
Core literacy standards.

Kennon McClendon
4/13/2016
2nd

The medieval period, also called the middle ages or dark ages due to a lack of intellectual discovery, started in the late fourth to early fifteenth
century. During this time there were many different languages that were spoken including Celtic, Saxon, Old English, and Latin. Old English has
similarities to our modern English except that some sounds are pronounced differently. Old English was spoken by the Anglo-Saxons and is difficult to
translate to modern text. During this time, many poems were written in Old English with Celtic, Germanic, and Latin influences. These cultures are
melted together throughout their poetry making it difficult to base upon one culture. Their poetry was very diverse sometimes being produced in the
Church as it was sometimes used for religious ceremonies. Similar to their poems, the writings if the medieval age were a combination of different
languages and cultures. They were normally written by nuns or